Ode to the Only Child

“You have any brothers or sisters?”

“No, I’m an only child.”

(Blank stare) “Really?  I would never have guessed.  How was that growing up?”

(Shruggs)  “I dunno… kinda sucked as a kid.  I was a bit lonely.”

And cue the awkward silence as the conversation goes into an entirely different direction.

Sound familiar?

April 10^th was National Sibling Day and in case you put yourself under a rock, you were probably inundated with pictures from your friends of themselves with their siblings.  If you are an only child, like me, it might’ve had you feeling some kind of way.  No?  Just me?  Very well then.  Either who, I took it upon myself to see if our country felt the same way about it’s much smaller families as it does about its larger ones.  National Only Child Day is two days after National Sibling Day, on April 12^th.  I guess I should be relieved but really it feels more like a consolation prize, like Grandparents Day or Father’s Day… it just doesn’t compare, does it?

So screw that!  Being an only child is indeed a unique experience.  We are definitely the minority in a country that celebrates family.  So here’s to you, Only Child!

They say we are spoiled, but you know that’s not true!  We were simply taken care of because there were no other little ones around.  We had opportunities to do more with our family; to travel, to have new and exciting experiences because of, well math.  Less kids=more money in the wallet.

There was never the opportunity to blame someone else for our own crimes.  It might have sucked back then, but we learned very early on that it was only right to take responsibility for our own choices.  Furthermore, there was no one to share chores with.  So, that meant it fell on us.  All. Of. Them.  We learned to be pretty dope at multi-tasking.  No doubt, we were probably very successful time managers by HIGH SCHOOL.

We often spent most of our time around adults.  It definitely sucked back then, but we learned early on how to initiate and engage in appropriate conversations.  This is why we are such passionate speakers.  We have our ideals and we are intelligent enough to speak to them with confidence and wisdom.  Things also go pretty smoothly when meeting new people, don’t they?

We tend to be open-minded individuals.  We yearn to learn more about the world around us because the lack of entertainment at home encouraged us to explore the differences in what we see everyday and in those things yet unknown.  By the way, this is why we are such badass leaders!

We have to be the most creative, most ingenuitive people on the planet.  Not trying to brag but #facts.  We had to be, right?  Friends were never guaranteed to be around so we were tasked to make our own fun.  We had the imaginary friend game on lock, and really went to town when playing with toys like Barbie or G.I. Joe.  What looked like a simple room to some, was an entirely new land in our minds.  We learned to entertain ourselves from the jump and there is no doubt that that skill has sustained our ability to be fiercely independent creatures.  We are fine all by ourselves.   We didn’t need siblings to have a good time because we understand the good that can come when you spend quality time with YOU.

So do not despair, Only Child.  Things might have been weird for us as kids.  People might have assumed the worst about us.  And many still may not fully understand what it is like not having to share parents with someone else.  Our path might have been different, but it was ours!  It was fierce, it was bold, it was different, and it was awesome!